Welcome to another Totally Techniques International Design Team Blog Hop!
This month we are playing with Ink Refills, or re-inkers, whatever you prefer to call them!
Ink refills are not just for re-inking your ink pads. There are so many fun techniques you can use them for, and today I am sharing a Christmas card featuring the Holly Jolly Branches Bundle from Stampin' Up!
I have used ink refills in two different ways on my card – to create a beautiful watercolour effect for my Christmas trees and to add some snowy splatters to my winter scene.
Creating the Christmas Trees
I started by adding a few drops of Azure Afternoon and Shaded Spruce ink refills directly onto my glass mat.
I spritzed the ink with water and then placed a piece of Basic White cardstock on top, allowing the cardstock to absorb the ink and water.
This is such a fun technique because you never quite know what you are going to get! The colours blend and move around, creating some beautiful variations and patterns.
Once my cardstock was completely dry, I used the three Christmas tree dies from the Holly Jolly Branches Dies to cut out a selection of trees.
I love how the mix of blues and greens gives each tree a slightly different look, even though they were all cut from the same pieces of cardstock.
Creating the Winter Background
For my background, I took another piece of Basic White cardstock and started ink blending with Secret Sea ink, quite heavy at the top and lighter as I got towards the bottom.
I wanted a really dark night sky fading into a lighter blue towards the bottom, so I left approximately 1½ inches of the cardstock white.
I then blended Azure Afternoon over the top, again concentrating the colour towards the top of the cardstock.
To create a snowy landscape, I took a 1-inch-wide strip of Basic White cardstock and tore along one edge. I adhered this across the bottom of my ink-blended panel to create the look of a snowdrift.
I then arranged and adhered my die-cut Christmas trees across the background, overlapping them at different heights to give the scene some depth.
Let It Snow!
Now for my second way of using ink refills!
I added a few drops of White Ink Refill onto a clear block and mixed in a little water using a paintbrush.
The trick here is to get the consistency just right. You want the mixture runny enough to create lovely splatters, but still concentrated enough that the white ink doesn't disappear into the darker cardstock.
Once I was happy with the consistency, I loaded my paintbrush and flicked the white ink mixture all over my card.
And just like that – snow!
I love how the white splatters show up against the dark background and the colourful trees. It really brings the whole winter scene together.
Finishing Touches
To finish my card, I stamped the greeting 'Wishing you a festive season' from the Holly Jolly Branches Bundle onto Poppy Parade cardstock using Versamark ink.
I sprinkled it with White Embossing Powder and heat embossed it before cutting it out with the coordinating label die from the bundle.
The pop of Poppy Parade adds a lovely contrast to all the blues and greens and gives the card that little extra Christmas touch.
I adhered the greeting towards the bottom of my card, and my snowy Christmas forest was complete!
Have a Play with Your Ink Refills!
There are so many different things you can do with ink refills, from watercolour backgrounds and colour blending to splattering and creating your own unique patterned cardstock.
And the best part? No two pieces will ever turn out exactly the same!
So, if you have a few bottles of ink refills sitting in your craft room, why not get them out and have a play? You might be surprised by what you can create.
Thank you so much for stopping by today!
Make sure you continue hopping along with the Totally Techniques International Design Team to see what my fellow design team members have created using ink refills. I am sure there will be lots of fabulous ideas and inspiration!
Happy crafting!
Mette